In the fall of 2007, the family controlling Cablevision made its third attempt in two years to take the company private. The Dolan family's previous attempts failed partly due to resistance from outside investors and an independent committee, with both citing the offers as inadequate. A complicating issue is Cablevision's dual class structure, with the Dolan family holding super-voting shares. With more leeway on governance rules because of its status as a "controlled company," Cablevision's board determined all non-Dolan directors were independent, even though some had ties to the family. In this case students examine the structure of Cablevision's board, the company's competitive outlook, and industry financial data before discussing the board's role during the takeover offers.

David Beim was a Columbia Business School faculty member from 1991 to 2015.

Professor Edwards is a specialist in financial markets and institutions, financial regulation and derivatives markets. He teaches courses on futures markets and contemporary issues in financial markets. Edwards has written dozens of books and articles on topics in banking, financial markets and derivatives, including a textbook, Futures and Options. In his recent book, the New Finance: Regulations and Financial Stability, he...